Angola requests EU, Portugal’s aid for population registration

Luanda – Angolan minister of Justice Francisco Manuel Queiroz has asked the European Union (EU) and Portugal for assistance in registering the population, in what he described as big challenges for progress.

In his interview with Euronews, the minister mentioned the poor registration system as one of the major problems hindering the country’s development.

To Portugal, Angola asks for the experience, while the European Union the country wants the financial support, he said.

According to him, unless the registration system issue is addressed, the country will face difficulty, adding that the EU support in this sense, always passing through Portugal, would be an asset and would indelibly mark Angola/European Union relations.

The minister delivered his speech in Lisbon, Portugal, on the same day the fourth Angolan-European Union Meeting was underway in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

Three financing agreements worth 22 million euro were signed on the sidelines of the meeting by Brussels.

The money will be earmarked for programmes in the areas of public finance and governance, higher education and dialogue mechanisms.

Data related to 2014 Population Census stands at 25.7 million inhabitants, of which 6.9 million living in Luanda.